


Meetings

by Hathor_girl



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Drama, Gen, Tok'ra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-30
Updated: 2013-06-30
Packaged: 2017-12-16 17:11:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/864532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hathor_girl/pseuds/Hathor_girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How would things change if a couple Tok'ra joined SG-1 and the other SG members when they went to the planet where the Unas and symbiotes come from? </p><p>Episode: The First Ones, but AU so Martouf/Lantash is with them. Some dialogue lifted.</p><p>Notes: Bold indicated symbiote speaking with symbiote voice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meetings

Daniel and Rothman are excavating some fossils, remnants of some of the ancestors of the symbiotes. They are looking, excitedly at a skeleton, and recording their findings on a Dictaphone. They are surprised that none of these pre-symbiotes seem to have had naquadah in their blood.

They have only just finished crating up their find, when an Unas attack them, and they flee, hurrying to the Stargate to go home.

* * *

In the gateroom, Rothman gives his report, that some of the soldiers are dead, and that Daniel is missing, taken by an indigenous life form. The rest of his team went to try and retrieve Daniel.

Hammond, Teal'c, Jack, and Sam look at Rothman, with alarm.

"No, no, no. It took Daniel. That's why the others went after it." Rothman exclaims.

"How long ago?"

"I don't know, maybe three hours! I... Daniel is still alive! That thing was dragging him!"

"You saw it?" Jack asks.

"Just for a second..."

"Request permission to lead search and rescue sir?" Jack looks at Hammond.

Hammond nods.

"But if I had a guess I'd say it was an Unas!" Rothman suddenly says.

"A what?" Jack looks shocked.

"It was like that... that thing you described in your mission report from Cimmeria!"

"Basically we're talking about a Goa'uld with teeth and claws sir." Jack explains to Hammond.

"Not necessarily Jack." Teal'c interrupts.

"What do you mean?" Hammond demands.

"Daniel believed that 888 was the planet from which all Goa'uld symbiotes originated." Sam explains.

"It may be that there are Unas there that have never been taken as hosts." Teal'c tells them.

"We're still talking about a big, stinky monster! Makes no difference." Jack says.

"Indeed it does. These Unas will be far more primitive and lack the regenerative powers of Unas we have previously encountered." Teal'c insists.

"So what would a primitive Unas want with Daniel?" Sam wonders.

Recommend units one and two, P-90's. I also recommend we take off right now sir." Jack looks at Hammond.

"You have a go." Hammond orders.

"Thank you!" Jack exclaims.

"Wait, one more thing... if this planet is really where the symbiotes originated, then maybe it would be a good thing to ask the Tok'ra? Perhaps have them send someone?" Sam suggests.

Jack grimaces, but Hammond nods. "It's not a bad idea. You go on ahead, I'll contact the Tok'ra and ask them to send someone."

"Thank you, sir."

They all run to gear up.

* * *

Sam, Teal'c, Jack, and members of other SG teams assembled at the foot of the ramp. Jack moves to the top of the ramp to address the others.

"All right, listen up! We're a little pressed for time here so this is going to have to serve as your mission briefing. Daniel Jackson has been dragged off by a creature called an Unas. This is a search and rescue. Any questions?"

Rothman enters the gateroom, pulling his coat on. "Err yes I have one. When exactly were you going to tell me when you were leaving?"

"I wasn't." Jack put his cap on.

Rothman looks surprised. "Oh."

"Move out!" Jack tells everyone.

* * *

Sam, Jack, Teal'c, and the rest of the SG members spend some time searching for Daniel, without finding him. Sam turns to look towards the Stargate, as it activates.

"Maybe that's the Tok'ra." She suggests.

"Yeah, why exactly was it you asked for them?" Jack says, annoyed.

"We can use their experience. They may know more about the Unas as well." She smiles. "Could be my dad."

"I guess." Jack grumbles.

They all looks towards the Stargate, as two persons walk through - or four, if you count both host and symbiote. They were both wearing green BDUs, proving they had stopped at the SGC for a while, and apparently had been told to wear those for the common mission.

"Martouf!" Sam exclaims, shocked. "You're alive? Okay?"

"I am well, Samantha." He smiles at her.

"Wow, you're certainly not easy to kill!" Jack says, surprised.

"Lantash succeeded in healing me, with some assistance from Anise and one of our healers." Martouf tells them.

Sam turns to the other person, embarrassed she had not greeted her. She can see that Anise does not look completely comfortable in the green BDUs - not exactly her style of clothing. "Hello, Anise. I'm very happy you managed to heal Martouf... and Lantash."

" **Of course, Major Carter. I quite understand.** "

Sam looks to Martouf. "Lantash... he's okay too? I mean, I can sense him, so I assume he is, but..."

Martouf smiles wider. "You wish to have confirmation. I can understand." He bows his head, giving Lantash control.

" **Hello, Samantha. I am quite well.** " He smiles, as wide as Martouf. " **Thank you for your concern.** "

Sam is smiling foolishly. "I...I had been afraid I'd never see you again - and here you are! Looking just like always! Wow!"

"Hello, Martouf, and Lantash. It is good to see you well." Teal'c says.

" **Thank you, Teal'c.** "

"Well, if we're done with the catching up, then perhaps we can get on with the search? Big ugly Unas have captured Daniel, and I assume that you came here to help in the search?"

" **I did. Anise, however, is here because she is interested in the fossils your people have found.** "

" **Very much so. To think that you have actually found the original homeworld of our kind...is impressive."**

"You didn't know about? How come? I thought you had this genetic memory that told you everything your ancestors did!" Jack exclaims.

" **We do...to a degree. It was a very long time ago that our kind left this world. Its coordinates were lost in antiquity. Originally it was probably not considered important - nor do I think the Goa'uld have much interest in knowing. Also, the first who left have probably had an imcomplete understanding of the chaapa'ais, and may not all have known how to return. When they learned, the coordinates of their home was already lost."**

"It makes sense, I guess." Sam nods.

"If the Goa'uld doesn't care about it, why do you?" Jack asks.

" **I am Tok'ra, not Goa'uld. I am also a scientist, an archaeologist. The history of the past interests me. Indeed, the Tok'ra have learned it is important to understand the past, of ourselves, and of other races.** "

"That's not the only reason though." Sam says, seeing something in Anise.

" **No.** " She confesses. " **We also hope that by studying the primitive form of our kind, we can learn how to make a queen. As you know, the Tok'ra are a dying race, and it is unlikely another Goa'uld queen will turn to our side. There are very few queens, and the fact that one did, is surprising in itself.** "

"Okay." Jack shrugs.

"Why  _are_  there so few queen?" Sam wonders.

" **The queen chooses to birth a queen, or a batch of ordinary symbiotes. It takes much longer to form a queen, and it is a conscious choice. More than that, each existing queen is a competitor, and the fewer, the more valued. So it is not in the queens interest to spawn many queens. Neither is it in the interest of the System Lord she has allied herself with, as having a queen makes the Lord strong, giving him larvae for his Jaffa.** "

"I understand. That makes sense, actually. But what can you do about that? What will studying these early symbiotes help?" Sam asks.

" **Our kind was once gendered, like yours, with male and female. Something caused them to change, we do not know what. Perhaps learning more of that, can help us with the - perhaps - related problem of turning an ordinary symbiote into a queen."**

"Listen, you can go play with your ancestors bones all you want, but not now! Daniel is out there - captured by an Unas! Can you help with that?" Jack insists.

" **This scanner has been calibrated to scan for human life sign. It will pick up the search party, of course, but I assume you know approximately where they are located?"**  Lantash says, holding up a small device.

"We do, yeah - and could your hosts take control? I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd prefer to deal with them!" He looks at Rothman, Griff, and a couple others coming towards them at a distance.

Lantash gave him an insulted look, but bowed his head and gave Martouf control.

"As you wish, Colonel O'Neill. We wish this mission to run as smoothly as possible." Martouf says.

"Good." Jack threw Anise a look, and saw she was doing the long blink she and Freya used when they switched. He sighed, not actually sure he preferred dealing with Freya - he hadn't forgotten how she had come on to him, forcefully.

"Hello." Martouf began, when Rothman and the others approached. "I am Martouf, and that is Freya. We..."

"Are some people here to help find Daniel. Let's get going." Jack says, impatiently, feeling they have already spent way too much time chattering.

"Civilians?" Griff asks.

"I suppose that would be accurate." Freya says, looking towards Jack.

* * *

The search party is walking through the forest, with Martouf scanning with the scanner.

"There are several humans in that direction, about 2 kilometers off." Martouf pointed.

"That would be SG-11." Jack said.

"Sir!" Sam said, looking at a device of her own. "Just got a fairly strong RDF signal. It's gone now not long enough to triangulate."

"So...so what does that mean?" Rothman asks.

"Daniel might have tried to use his radio." Sam says.

"There is a human lifesign in that direction." Martouf points again.

"That fits with the direction the UAV seemed to pick something up, but it was too short to be certain." Sam adds.

Martouf fiddles with the scanner. "There are also an Unas signal nearby... several, actually. Now they disappeared..." he fiddled again. "As did Daniel Jackson's signature. Perhaps they entered a cave, where the rock has a mineral content that interferes with the scanner."

"All right let's pick it up!" Jack says.

* * *

Teal'c, Jack, Sam, Martouf/Lantash, Freya/Anise, Rothman, Griff, and a few others in the search team continued walking through the forest for some time.

"Sierra gulf one-one-niner this is sierra gulf one niner. Come in? We're somewhere on your six joining the search, do you read?" Jack speaks into his radio. he turns to Sam. "Where the hell is Hawkins and the others?"

"Martouf?" She looks to him.

He nods, looking at the scanner. "I am picking up several humans in  _that_  direction. Could be SG-11."

"Maybe an Unas got him." Rothman says morosely. He drinks water from his flask as Sam and Jack look back at him.

"Unas can be violent, but we have little knowledge about them in their unblended form." Freya admits.

"Yeah, both we met were hosts to Goa'uld." Sam says, realizing it would be the same for the Tok'ra. Few Goa'uld used Unas hosts anymore, and unblended Unas were probably rare on most worlds. "So is this the homeworld of the Unas as well?"

"Yes. Unas were the first hosts of the Goa'uld." Freya said, then smiled wryly. "They needed hosts in order to leave the planet."

"Of course." Sam says, feeling stupid.

* * *

The search team approaches the dig site camp cautiously and fans out to inspect the area for hostiles. Jack, Sam, and Martouf/Lantash check inside the tents while the others, except Freya/Anise, stand guard.

Freya/Anise left to look at the finds that had been crated up nearby, waiting to be shipped to Stargate Command.

"Anise is very interested in the fossils." Sam observes.

"Yes, as Lantash and she explained earlier, we really hope we can learn something that will help us to transform an ordinary symbiote to a queen." Martouf smiles. "Of course, the finds are extremely interesting in themselves. To learn something more about how symbiotes evolved, is very interesting."

"Of course. With all that having happened on another world, that you didn't know the coordinates to, you couldn't do any kind of research into symbiote evolutionary development. Scientists on Earth have learned a lot from studying human evolution, so I can understand you want to take this chance." Sam frowns. "Did you know that they did not find any naquadah in the fossils? Is that not strange?"

Martouf shakes his head. "No, it is believed that it either became part of symbiote biology from exposure to the naquadah needed for much of our technology, or from a conscious decision to add it in order to block others from using much of the technology."

"To reinforce the belief Goa'uld were gods?" Sam asks.

"Yes, and also to protect against anger from those they conquered. Though naquadah has other properties as well, that are useful. The presence of it in the bloodstream increases the body's defences - stronger immune system, more resistance to drugs - even some amount of lengthening of life."

"I've noticed the resistance to drugs - I'm  _very_  hard to drug, for instance. Now you mention it... I haven't had a cold since... since Jolinar."

Martouf nods. "Yes, it has some effect on unblended humans as well, though particularly when their body chemistry has been changed by being hosts. Our scientists and healers had noticed that. However, the effect is much stronger in symbiotes, and in blended humans." He sighs. "Regardless, there is very little naquadah on this world, at least around here, so that explains why it was not in the... primitive symbiotes biological makeup."

"What do you mean there is little naqudah? How do you know that? I thought you didn't know anything about this world!" Jack says angrily. "Typical Tok'ra! Keeping stuff from us!"

Martouf looks at him for a moment, then decides against responding in kind. "We have spoken the truth. We have little or no knowledge about this world. However, I sense no naquadah, aside from the chaapa'ai, Samantha, Teal'c's symbiote, and Anise when she is nearby."

"Hmph." Jack says.

They continue looking over the tents for a little while, then Rothman joins them and take them to the place Daniel and a man named Loeder were attacked earlier.

"Loeder was killed over there." He points.

Jack uses hand signals to get the others to fan out and secure the area. Major Griff and another soldier approach the edge of the woods and they see the body of Loeder. The others join them.

"He appears to have been killed by a being of great strength." Teal'c observes.

"What was Loeder doing?" Jack asks Rothman.

"Packing up fossilised Goa'uld for transport back to earth."

"You guys weren't doing anything that would have provoked an attack?"

"I, err...I don't know!"

"You know Rothman, I'm so glad you came!" Jack snorts.

"Ok then no, I doubt it very much. You see we'd been at the dig for three weeks doing exactly what Loeder's been doing for three weeks." Rothman says defensively.

Major Griff approaches. He shows them a handful of bullets. "Look at this. They got off a hell of a lot of shots."

"Our theory appears to be correct. The stride, width and shape of these footprints appear to be consistent with that of an Unas." Teal'c says.

"Can you track it?" Jack asks, looking at Teal'c.

"Indeed."

"Wait, I'm again getting a signal...Teal'c, would you say the tracks are going in that direction?" Martouf points, looking at the scanner at the same time.

"Yes."

"I got a brief human signal on the scanner in that direction - quite far away. Presumably it is Daniel Jackson."

That's when one of the soldiers who went into the forest approaches with a visibly shocked Major Hawkins.

"Colonel! We found him just standing there, staring off into space." The soldiers says.

"Colonel?" Hawkins says.

Jack approaches Hawkins cautiously. "Where's the rest of you men?"

"We were attacked. Sanchez is dead for sure. I don't know what happened after that. We got split up...I was hoping some of them might have made it back." He stares around confused.

"Oh god!" Rothman exclaims.

"Major we've been trying to contact you for the last few hours." Sam insists.

Hawkins looks down for his radio that isn't there. They all look at him in sympathy.

"My men are dead aren't they?" Hawkins says in a quiet voice.

Jack puts a hand on his shoulder. "Look Hawkins. I can't spare anybody to take you back to the Stargate. You're going to have to stick with us. Can you do that?"

"Whatever you say sir." Hawkins sounds shocked.

"Let's move out! Martouf, Teal'c - what way was it you think Daniel has been taken?"

* * *

After some time, the search team reaches a river and a lake.

"Sir, I think we should rest." Sam looks at the sky, where it is clear it will soon be dark.

"All right go to ground. Boots on, No fire!" Jack orders.

Sam nods. "Okay."

"I'll take first watch." Jack says.

They all walk into the woods, except Jack who sits down by the riverbank.

* * *

"Samantha?" Martouf says, in a low voice, as they are setting up camp - mostly just preparing to sleep on the ground, and getting a little to eat and drink.

"Yes?"

He threw a look in the direction of the others, then indicated he would like to walk some distance away. They did, before he spoke. "I will readily admit I do not completely understand the Tau'ri, but does it not seem as if Hawkins is behaving...oddly? Rothman as well, for that matter."

Sam grins. "Rothman always behaves strangely. I don't know him terribly well, but from what I gather, he's Daniel times ten when it comes to strange behaviour. As for Hawkins...well, he's had a bad shock. I don't know precisely what's happened to him, but his team mates are dead, and that's going to be hard, no matter what."

Martouf nods. "Of course, I understand that." He sighs. "As a Tok'ra, we often forget that humans have a hard time with such things, even on missions. It affects us as well, of course, though Tok'ra have to be able to function on dangerous missions until we can return to safety. We thus learn to put off grief until later. Of course, a symbiote can control most of the body's reactions, so as to make sure we can function."

"Unless the symbiote is badly affected by the grief." Sam says.

"True, but they have experienced enough bad things that they have learned to - mostly - suppress their feelings on such things until they are in a safe place."

"It sounds like a hard life."

Martouf nods. "Often it is, but there is no other way for us." He frowns, looking at the water, then shakes his head.

"What is it?"

"I saw...movement, in the water. I have done so several times, but not been close enough to see the creature. Fish, I would assume."

"Probably."

"Samantha...would you mind not getting too close to the water? For now...I have a bad feeling about it."

"Why?"

He sighs, then shakes his head. "No, it cannot be. It is just...Lantash suggested something which can't be true..." Martouf's eyes suddenly widened. "Of course...it can. No naquadah! Samantha...do you know if they found any live symbiotes on this world?"

"What? But didn't the Goa'uld leave this world a long time ago? All the fossils we have found have been ancient." Sam threw a worried look at the waterfront behind her, then edged a little further away.

"We do not know that everyone left. Some may still be here."

"O-kay...but wouldn't they have taken Unas hosts?"

"If they could, but some may still be in the water. Until we know more, we should keep our distance to it."

"You're right. Let's go tell the others of your thought." She shudders. "If there's symbiotes in that river or the lake...and without naquadah. There would be no way to sense them."

"Correct. It is...disquieting."

They hurried back to the others.

* * *

"So you think there's...Goa'uld in the waters?" Jack asks, looking uncomfortably at the nearby waterfront.

"It is not something we know for certain, but...it would make sense. We cannot be certain all left, nor that any remaining will all be in Unas. We should take precautions...in case there are symbiotes in the water." Martouf says.

"Oh, I agree. I definitely agree." He grimaced.

"No, that cannot be. The fossils were millions of years old. I've been on this planet for weeks. We've seen no signs of live Goa'uld." Rothman insists.

"Still, it is better to be careful." Jack sighs. "How far can the snakes jump?"

Freya raised her eyebrows at him, clearly not liking the euphemism he used for symbiotes. "We should be safe where we are standing, but it would not be a good idea to go closer to the water."

"Understood." Jack says. "Move back another couple feet, guys."

"I'm sorry, but can you be certain of that? I mean, how far they can jump?" Griff asks.

"Her estimate is quite correct, I assure you." Martouf adds.

"They're Tok'ra - didn't you know?" Sam asks. Freya is host to Anise, and Martouf is host to Lantash.

"Tok'ra?" Rothman says, an intense look on his face. "What is that?"

"Way to not pay attention during the briefings, Rothman!" Jack says, sarcastically.

"Tok'ra means against Ra. We are a resistance, fighting the Goa'uld System Lords." Martouf bows his head, giving Lantash control.

" **We are, regrettably, the same species as the Goa'uld, but we do not share their ideology. We share the body with the host, and only take willing hosts."**

Rothman gasps, at hearing the distorted voice. "You are a Goa'uld?"

" **We prefer that you do not call us that!"**  Lantash flashes his eyes, annoyed.

"Yeah, yeah. Moving on." Jack says. "Let's go to sleep - just let's keep a distance to the lake and the river."

Rothman gives Lantash a really strange, contemplative look, then looks away again.

* * *

All the members of the search team are asleep on the ground, except Jack and Teal'c who are guards. Jack looks thoughtfully out over the sleeping people.

"Teal'c, don't you think Hawkins is behaving really strange?" Jack says in a low voice.

"It is difficult to say, O'Neill. Humans often behave strangely."

Jack shrugs. "I guess that's true. I know he got a shock, but still, he's being odd. Different."

"Perhaps." Teal'c says.

Jack rolls his eyes, then nudges Rothman who is sleeping nearby. "Hey... Rothman?" He whispers.

Rothman murmurs in his sleep but doesn't wake up so Jack throws his hat at him. Rothman sits up suddenly awake.

"What? Colonel?"

"Have you noticed anything weird about Hawkins?"

"Weird?" Rothman says, sleepily.

"Different."

"Different?"

"Odd." Jack asks, getting annoyed.

"Odd?"

" _Rothman_!" Jack exclaims, getting really frustrated.

"Oh, I'm still not awake yet Colonel I'm sorry."

J"Well you work with him! Just tell me if you notice anything out of the ordinary."

Rothman pulls his glasses on and squints at Hawkins. By now Sam and Martouf are also awake, and looks at Hawkins who is still asleep.

"He seems like...Hawkins. I mean, that's the way he is." Rothman shrugs.

"You sure?" Jack asks.

"No, it's not my thing."

"What isn't?"

"People. I mean give me a million year old fossil and I'll tell you what it had for breakfast but I'm not too good at people. They're too recent!" Rothman explains.

He lies back down and goes to sleep.

"Sir... Martouf mentioned the same earlier..." Sam says, looking between Jack and Martouf.

"Yes. Hawkins seems... off, somehow." Martouf says.

"Well if  _you're_  noticing it too, then I really think there's something to it!" Jack scowls in the direction of Hawkins. He shrugs. "Okay, well, maybe he's just really affected by what he experienced. Let's sleep."

* * *

Next morning, they are getting ready to move out and continue the search.

Jack walks over to where Sam and Martouf/Lantash are standing, talking. He talks in a low voice. "You said you had noticed Hawkins was behaving strangely. Do you think... he could be snaked?"

Martouf raises his eyebrows. "If you mean do I think he could have been taken as a host... then, perhaps. Unknown. We don't even know if there still  _are_  symbiotes on this world, but..." He sighs. "Lantash thinks he saw movement in the water. Something... that might have been symbiote-like." He bows his head.

" **These symbiotes would not be used to human hosts, or to hosts at all. it would take them time to learn to control a human host, time to learn our language, and learn enough about the host to impersonate them. _If_  Hawkins were taken over by such a symbiote, I would expect him to behave much like he does."** Lantash says in a low voice.

"Awesome." Jack sighs. "Any way to tell for sure?"

" **Since there is little naquadah on this world, I cannot sense these symbiotes as I otherwise could. However, there will have to be an entry wound. We should look for that.** "

"Couldn't they have entered through the mouth?" Sam asks. "It's not like they would have the normal aversion Goa'uld has, since there isn't a lot of mirrors around for them to see the face that was horrified, in."

" **True, but to blend through the mouth takes... closer proximity, and usually either a willing host, someone to hold the future host down, or lucky circumstances, such as the host sticking the face close to the symbiote and opening the mouth. The only possibility here would be if the host was drinking from the river or the lake, and even then it is unlikely the symbiote would have had the opportunity to enter through the mouth. No, it is far more likely that we will find an entry wound on the neck, or on the side of the neck.** " Lantash says.

"Well, you would know, I guess." Jack sighs again. "Okay, sorry. I didn't mean it that way. What you say makes sense. I guess we should have everyone checked out." He looks around, spotting Teal'c standing near the water, looking over it.

Suddenly, a symbiote jumps from the water, but Teal'c reacts quickly, shooting it with his staff weapon. He then turns to all the others, and aims the weapon at them.

"Lower your weapons! One or more of you may have become host to a Goa'uld!"

"Yeah, we suspected that could be the case, but we didn't know for sure there were still symbiotes here." Jack says.

"Until now. That was obviously a symbiote that was trying to jump Teal'c." Sam says. "I didn't think they could take over a Jaffa?"

" **It cannot. But without naquadah to sense the symbiote in his pouch, the symbiotes on this world cannot know he is a Jaffa. Not that they would know what a Jaffa is. They were created many millennia after... my ancestors left this world.** " Lantash explains. " **Not can a symbiote blend with someone who is already a host. The result of such an attempt would usually be the death of both symbiotes and the host, but _always_  the death of the attacking** symbiote."

" **I agree.** " Anise says.

"Okay, then Teal'c, and you two, are clean. The rest of us could have been taken over by the Goa'uld of this world." Sam realizes.

"I think I would know if there was a snake in my head." Rothman says, sarcastically.

"Enough! Relinquish your weapons immediately!" Teal'c orders all the humans.

" **We will look for a scar on the neck, or the side of the neck - or even around the throat. Those are the places a symbiote would most easily enter, if jumping from the water."**  Anise says. " **If there is no scar visible, we should look and see if there is a visible abrasion in the back of the throat, and finally it is possible to feel the symbiote if you know where to press with your fingers."**

"Can't it move around in the body? I think the Goa'uld in Kawalsky did that." Jack suddenly remembers.

" **It can, but not if it is an adult. There is not enough space for it to do so. Regardless, if it is a juvenile small enough for that, it will not be able to keep control - nor can it have control while it is not attached to the brain, so in that case the host can at least tell us they have been blacking out, if the symbiote blocked them while in control."**

"Okay, then. Everyone, do as Teal'c says. Put your weapons down." Jack orders. "Then let's all get checked out."

The others comply with reserve. Teal'c and Anise then trains weapons on them, while Lantash check each person to see if they could have been taken over. He went to Sam first.

She took off her jacket, and he checked her neck and throat area. Then he looked in her mouth, before placing his fingers on her back and starting to gently press and feel for a symbiote. " **Relax, Samantha. This should not hurt."**

"I'm not tense, I just have muscle infiltrations from the last weeks work at the computers."

" **Understood."**  He continued examining her for a few moments more.

Sam closed her eyes, and allowed herself to enjoy the feeling, as ridiculous as it was. They were all in danger, for gods sake!

"Well?" Jack asks, not impressed with Sam's obvious enjoyment and Lantash's slow examination of her.

" **Samantha is clean."**

"Great, thanks." Sam smiles.

" **If you want, I could help you with those sore muscles, later. I have some experience with massage."**

"Oh! Ah...well, yes, I think I'd like that." Sam says, blushing a little, remembering both how nice it had just felt to have his strong hands on her, but also remembering from Jolinar how talented Martouf and Lantash could be with their hands. "I mean, um, if you don't mind."

"It would be my pleasure to assist you." Lantash smiles widely, then walks over to Jack, who suffered the examination in silence. Fortunately, Lantash spent less time feeling his neck than he had Sam's, giving some more fuel to Jack's suspicion he had touched Sam longer than necessary because he had enjoyed the feeling. Jack scoffs.

" **You, also, are clean, O'Neill."**

"Good." He glares at the Tok'ra, then sits down.

Lantash walks up to Hawkins, but he hasn't reached him when the man's eyes glow and he recoils.

" **No. _Traitor_!"**  Hawkins - or the Goa'uld in him - shouted. " **Leave me!"**

Lantash raises an eyebrow.  **"I will not let you keep this host! The Tok'ra will remove you."**  He whipped out his zat and fired once at the Goa'uld, who slowly sank to the ground.

"Check out the others. Carter and I will tie him up." Jack says.

" **Of course, sir."**

"Can you remove the symbiote?" Sam asks.

" **Yes, there is no reason why it should be different from removing other Goa'uld."**  Lantash says.

" **I agree. I do not believe there are any significant differences, aside from the lack of naquadah."**  Anise ponders it for a moment. " **It shall be interesting to examine them, though, as well as interrogate them and learn about them. I wonder if they share the Goa'uld desire for power? If they are evil, or if they merely wish to have a host?"**

"Very interesting. Please don't tell me anything about it!" Jack grumbles.

" **Pierce?"**

"Yeah, sure. I guess."

Lantash checked him, and found him to be human. " **Two more to go. Captain Griff? Do you wish to go first?"**  Lantash asks.

"Why not?" Griff shrugs.

Lantash nods, relaxing. It's unlikely the man is a Goa'uld, when he does not mind being examined. A quick examination proved that he was, indeed, human.

" **You are clean, sir."**  Lantash looks to Rothman, who is standing as far a way as possible, looking as frozen to the ground. " **Rothman?"**

"No... no, leave me alone. I don't want a Goa'uld to touch me!"

Lantash raises an eyebrow. " **I believe I informed you that I do _not_  wish to be called Goa'uld!"**

"Yeah, you freak! You're not even admitting to what you are!"

"Okay, that's enough, Rothman! Let Lantash examine you. Now!" Jack orders, impatiently.

"We already found the Goa'uld! Why should the rest of us have to suffer? It was Hawkins! That's why he was weird, as you said!"

" **Just relax, and I will examine you quickly."**  Lantash assures him.

"This is ridiculous, I'm not a Goa'uld! You're the Goa'uld here!"

Lantash flashes his eyes, out of patience. " **Quiet! Or I shall have to _make_  you shut up!**"

" **Never!"** Suddenly, Rothman's eyes glows and he jumps Lantash, trying to trip him over and hit him. Lantash, however, is much faster, a trained fighter, and it only takes him moments to win the fight, pressing him down into the ground and wrestling his arm to the back.

" **Surrender! Or I shall rip you away from your hosts spine myself!"**

* * *

Soon after, Rothman and Hawkins are tied up, and Jack has called Coburn waiting at the gate, telling him about the Goa'uld.

"Okay, Griff, you and Pierce guard those two snakeheads until Coburn shows up, then take them back to the Stargate. We'll hold them at Stargate Command until the Tok'ra can get the snakes out of them."

"Yeah! How long do you figure Rothman and Hawkins were Goa'uld?" Griff says.

"Hawkins probably became a host quite recently. The Goa'uld in him seemed very confused and uncertain of how to behave, so he had not had time to go though his hosts memories and familiarize himself with everything." Martouf says. "The Goa'uld do not blend like the Tok'ra, so unless they directly go look for information in their hosts mind, they will not care about it."

"Rothman on the other hand... he could have been Goa'uld the whole time, we just didn't know. Right?" Pierce wonders.

"Very likely. He may have been taken over quite quickly after going to this place." Martouf agrees.

" **I will accompany you back to the chaapa'ai, and then take Hawkins and Rothman back to the**  Tok'ra." Anise says.  **  
**

"You can't wait to get to examine them, I guess." Jack sounds a bit disgusted.

" **That as well, but I was mostly concerned with freeing their hosts.** " Anise says, sounding miffed.

"Of course. Sorry." Jack smiles at her, apologetically. This mission was helping him learn to cooperate with the Tok'ra, and differentiate them from the Goa'uld. He knew, intellectually, they were not like the Goa'uld, but it was another thing to truly feel it.

"Listen, we'll take care of the prisoners, sir. Go find Doctor Jackson." Griff says.

"Yeah." Jack is quiet for some time, worrying about his friend.

* * *

Jack, Sam, Martouf/Lantash, and Teal'c enter the cave with their weapons drawn cautiously. The find the remains of the fire and Teal'c bends down to inspect it.

"We are very close behind." Teal'c says.

They then discover some cave paintings and see the smear of Daniel's blood next to a drawing.

"It's red, there's not much of it!" Sam notes.

"Unas have green blood, so it must be from Daniel Jackson." Martouf observes.

"This way!" Teal'c leads them forward.

"How do you know?" Jack asks. Teal'c is looking at some markings that Daniel made. Jack approaches and we see that the markings say 'this way' with an arrow underneath them. "You're good!" jack says sarcastically.

They move further into the caves.

* * *

Sam, Martouf/Lantash, Jack, and Teal'c continues following Daniel's trail. They hear the growls of the Unas nearby and hurry on.

They run into a cavern, and sees Daniel with several Unas's. Jack draws his weapon, and Sam, Martouf/Lantash, and Teal'c does the same, pointing at the Unas's. Daniel sees them and puts his hands up to stop them.

"Don't, don't! Don't shoot!"

Sam, Martouf/Lantash, Jack, and Teal'c stop and take defensive positions.

The alpha male Unas sees them and roars very loudly. Other Unas appear from further inside the caves. They start to move forward but a young Unas talks. He seems to be pleading with the alpha male for Daniel's life.

"Sho eyay jay!"

Daniel looks at his friends. "I think this started out as some sort of right of passage. I think the alpha male was expecting the younger one to offer me up for some kind of feast."

"Joffa, Chakka, ka nan!" The younger Unas says.

"Instead I think the younger one's trying to bring me into his clan."

"Why?" Sam asks.

"We've communicated. We're friends!" Daniel insists.

"Friends?!" Jack wonders.

"I... would agree. The younger Unas talks about you, Doctor Jackson. He calls you 'child'... I believe he feels responsible for you, saying you have... saved each other? No...  _helped_  each other." Martouf says.

"You understand them?" Daniel asks. "Oh, and... um, hi Martouf. I thought you were dead."

"I am not. Obviously. As for understanding them, yes, to a degree. Lantash has some understanding of the Unas language, in his genetic memory. The Unas language is... rudimentary. They are not unintelligent, but the part of their brain which process language is not well developed, which regrettably hinders their development in other areas as well."

"Because you need language to understand a lot of concepts in science and such." Daniel says.

"Yes. But to answer your question, yes, Lantash understands the Unas language." Martouf bows his head, to give Lantash control.

"Lantash! Don't let them know you are a Goa'uld! I mean..." Daniel began.

"I understand, Daniel Jackson." Lantash says, using Martouf's voice. "They live on a planet that teems with Goa'uld symbiotes in much of the water. They would undoubtedly have a somewhat... dim view of my kind."

Daniel nods. "Yes."

"I shall attempt to communicate with the Unas, though please understand that it is not a language I have ever spoken, I only know it from my genetic memory, and it is distant - nor is it well suited to human vocal cords."

"We get it. Do the best you can." Jack says.

At that moment, one of the other Unas approach them, swinging a club.

"Ka!" the young Unas yells.

Jack, Sam, and Teal'c aim their weapons. Daniel raises his hand again to stop them. "Don't! I think the younger one's trying to tell the clan that he's found something good for them."

"And they're buying that?" Jack asks.

"No I don't think so." Daniel admits.

The alpha male approaches Daniel to attack. Lantash steps forward, speaking to the Unas.

"Ka, ta ka keka. Ka Nay, ka naya. A Benar." Lantash bows his head. "A Benar. Ka keka."

The alpha male stops, stares at him surprised and backs away slightly.

"What did you just say?" Jack asks.

Daniel stared nervously at the alpha male, while Lantash has an expression of self-assuredness, mixed with some apprehension.

"Uh, you asked him not to kill us? You said we were... what, friends?" Daniel asks.

Lantash nods. "Yes. I asked him not to kill us, and that we are friends - and that we surrender."

"Surrender? Now, I don't like the sound of that." Jack says.

"It's necessary, he's the alpha male, and he would never accept anything else. If we don't surrender - show we yield and subject to his rule - then he will order his clan to kill us. Right?" Daniel realizes.

"Correct." Lantash says. "If we do not, then the only other option is killing them. "

The alpha male looks slowly at Lantash, and then the others. "Benar. Ka keka. Ma."

Lantash looks relieved. "Ma. Naya." He indicated all of them. That they were all in agreement.

"Kekata?" The alpha points at Teal'c, then the others.

"He asks about our weapons, specifically Teal'c's staff weapon. I believe they concern him. They have probably only seen Goa'uld use those. I didn't know any had visited this world." He frowns. "Kekata - Onac Na? Ko Keka Unas?"

"Keka Unas. Soseka." He pointed at himself. "Tok. Tonak. Keka Onac. Ka Nok. Soseka Ka Nok."

Lantash looks confused for a moment, then translates. "I asked him if Goa'uld came here, if they killed the Unas with staff weapons. I'm not sure how else to differentiate between Goa'uld coming here in hosts, and Goa'uld symbiotes in the lake taking over someone. I... am fairly certain he understood, and said that Goa'uld came here, a long time ago. They used staff weapons to kill a great many Unas - or maybe take them with them. The alpha male says they... or maybe just he... fought them, resisted them.. and killed one of them."

"Okay, good for them. Tell them we fight the Goa'uld too. That we're friends and would like to cooperate, or whatever."

"I'll try." Lantahs sighs, then bows his head respectfully to the Unas. "A Cha'ka. Naya keka Onac. Ka Naya, ka Nay. Chaka. Cho'ee'che."

The alpha male seemed to think it over. "Ma. Cho'ee'che."

The young Unas that had befriended Daniel seemed happy, and made a sound that could only be taken as success.

"We're good?" Jack asked.

"Yes, we're good. Cho'ee'che means peace - in this context at least." Lantash says. He bows to the alpha male. "Bow!" He tells the others.

They all bow, and the alpha male looks pleased. He turns and leaves, as does most of the Unas, except Daniel's friend.

"Daneeeeeel!" The young Unas says, clearly happy. He tries to get him to follow, and gesture to the others to do so too. "Ka nay! Cha!"

"He wants us to go with him, and be his friends." Daniel says.

"Yes, friends - or clan members. He wants us to stay here." Lantash adds.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen." Jack insists.

"Ka." Daniel says, shaking his head.

The Unas growls softly. "Chakka! Ka Nok Cha!" He turns and leaves.

"What that mean?" Jack asks.

"I have no idea...but I think I've just been invited to come back one day to find out."

Lantash nods. "That is essentially correct. You can come and stay with him any time you want."

"Nice. Let's get back home." Jack says.

They all leave the cavern, and return to the Stargate.

"Listen, Lantash, could you teach me what you know of the Unas language? And about them?" Daniel wonders.

" **Certainly.** " Lantash says, no longer hiding the distortion.  **  
**

"Oh, we need to get all the fossils!" Daniel suddenly says, on the way back.

"Griff and the others will have made sure to get it collected." Jack says.

"There's still so much to learn here. We can't just leave!" Daniel insists. "We have to come back."

"To a Goa'uld infested planet? I don't think so!" Jack exclaims.

" **Anise indicated she wishes to study these findings more. I am sure she would happily accompany you. She might even convince some other Tok'ra to join you. I am sure there will be a great deal of interest in this place, now when we know there are still symbiotes here. Depending on what is learned from the symbiotes in Hawkins and Rothman, of course. If the symbiotes are not evil, and can be turned to the Tok'ra side, then we may recruit some of them."**

"You need to give them naquadah if they are to be able to pretend to be Goa'uld." Sam observes.

" **Yes, of course, and for other reasons as well. That should not prove difficult for our healers, though."**

"Okay, you can talk about that later. Daniel - dial us home!" Jack orders.

He nods, starting to dial. They were going home.


End file.
